NYC Streets

"S" Streets of New York

Generic Entries

Spellings and Misspellings.

Names dating from the colonial period or the early republic often have multiple spellings. In part this reflects the interaction between Dutch and English; and in part that neither language had yet arrived at a standard written form. There is also the fact that, in a rather raw colonial society, responsibility for public record-keeping often fell to people with relatively little formal education.

Even after the advent of dictionaries and free public schools, there was still rich opportunity for human error. Maps, documents and ordinary letters were copied by hand; and type was set by hand, by men toiling long hours in poorly lit rooms. Their work may have been proofread, but errors in names are less obvious than errors in ordinary words and thus more likely to be perpetuated. Several of the "former names" listed by Post are obvious copying or typesetting errors, and a few more are probably so. He dutifully recorded them all. For example, Vanderdisses Street for Vandercliffe's Street, Bousal's Wharf for Bonsal's Wharf, and Thomas Street for Thames Street.

Stuyvesant Farm Grid.

As Director General of the New Netherlands, Peter Stuyvesant was entitled to occupy Bowery No. 1, the largest and best of the farms that the Dutch West India Company had set aside for the its officers. In 1651 he purchased this farm outright from his employers, along with part of Bowery No. 2 on the south and a large tract of meadowland to the north, totaling over 300 acres. Stuyvesant and his descendents further expanded the family's holdings. At their greatest extent, in the early 18th century, they comprised the bulk of the land east of the present Bowery and Fourth Avenue from Stanton Street north to East 30th Street.

About 1788 Petrus Stuyvesant (1707-1805), great-grandson of the Dutch governor, laid out a grid of streets on his land. It was centered on Stuyvesant Street, which had been the old dividing line between Bowery Nos. 1 and 2. Proceeding south from Stuyvesant Street were streets named Nicholas William, Verplanck and Quick. North of Stuyvesant Street were Peter, Governor, Gerard, Winthrop and Ten Broeck Streets. At right angles to these were four streets named after Petrus' four daughters. Proceeding east from the Bowery they were Judith, Eliza, Margaret and Cornelia Streets.

The Mangin-Goerck Plan of 1803 expanded this grid considerably, adding seven streets north of Ten Broeck (Dow, White Cruger, Gates, Livingston, Dove and Spruce); five streets south of Quick (Rensselaer, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Bruges); and two streets east of Cornelia (Martha and Hariot).

Portions of the streets in Petrus' original grid, those nearest Stuyvesant Street and the Bowery, were developed. Lots were leased and buildings erected. But none of the additional streets in Mangin's expanded grid appears to have existed except on paper.

By the time the Commissioners' Plan was adopted, Petrus Stuyvesant had died and the de facto head of the family was Peter Gerard Stuyvesant (1778-1847). He adapted quickly to the new street layout and may even have had some input to it. Apart from being one of the city's largest private landowners he had, in 1809, married the daughter of commissioner John Rutherfurd. (See Rutherfurd Place.)

Today the only remnant of the Stuyvesant Farm Grid is Stuyvesant Street between the former Bowery (now Fourth Avenue) and Second Avenue. The short link between Fourth and Third Avenues is now part of Astor Place.

Part of the old Governor's 1651 purchase, mainly along the Bowery and Fourth Avenue, remained in the hands of Stuyvesant descendants until the death of Peter Winthrop Rutherfurd Stuyvesant in 1970, probably the longest record of continuous family ownership in the city's history.

Street Names

Sackett Street. (n.d.) Circa 1700, a name for the present Cherry Street. See also Bowling Green.

Samuel David Street. (L18-E19) Mentioned in the Minutes of the Common Council, this is probably a copyist's misreading of the cursive "Saint" as "Sam'l." In any case, it is now part of Bleecker Street. See St. David Street and David Street.

Samuel Street. (E19) A street in the subdivision of the Kips Bay Farm. It ran from 30th Street, just east of Third Avenue, to 39th Street west of Second Avenue.

Sand Hill Road. (M17-E19) The road from the Bowery west to what later became Greenwich Village. Following a former Indian trail, it passed over a chain of sandy hills--Zantberg in Dutch--and Minetta Brook to what had been the Indian village of Sapokanikan on the Hudson River. The English called the road Sand Hill Road, but later gave the westerly parts of it separate identities as Great Kill Road and Greenwich Lane. About 1800 the easterly part of the Sand Hill Road, between the Bowery and the present Sixth Avenue, became Art Street, a part of which survives as Astor Place See also Gerritsen's Wagon Way, Sapokanikan (Road to), Monument Lane, and Obelisk (Road to the).

Sapokanikan, Road to. (M-L17) An early term for the Sand Hill Road. Sapokanikan--the name is variously spelled--was an Indian village on the Hudson River at about the present Little West 12th Street. The earliest known use of Greenwich for this area was in 1696.

Scammel Street. (L18-M20) A street formerly running from Water to Grand Streets one block east of Gouverneur Street. It was demapped for the Vladeck Houses.

Schaape Weytie or Schaapen Weide, The. (M17) This name, variously spelled and meaning the Sheep Pasture, appears in some grants of the Dutch period. It refers to what is now Broad Street from Wall to Beaver Streets as well as the south side of Wall Street between Broad and Hanover Streets.

Scheiffelin Street. (E19) A former street in Manhattanville. It ran parallel to and two blocks north of Manhattan Street, the present West 125th Street.

Schreyers Hook. (E17-L18) Formerly a part of the shoreline south of the Fort, now State Street between Pearl and Whitehall Streets.

Schroepel or Schroepple Street. (E19) A street laid out on the Glass House Farm. It ran from Moses Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, to Tulip Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. It was just north of, and at a slight angle to, the present 32nd Street. Spelled Schweppel in Post.

Scott Street (2). (E19) Now West 12th Street from Greenwich Avenue to Greenwich Street. See also Cornelia Street (1) and Troy Street.

Scott's Alley. (E-M19) Renamed Franklin Place prior to 1850. It now runs from Franklin to White Streets about 150 feet west of Broadway. According to Post, it formerly extended an additional block north to Walker Street. That link was closed prior to 1855.

Seaman Avenue. (part) Today's Seaman Avenue ends at West 218th Street. As laid out in the 1870s, it continued north, looped around the north side of Marble Hill, and met the present Broadway opposite West 225th Street. This northerly part was severed by the construction of the U.S. Ship Canal in the 1880s. Some of the old course of Seaman Avenue in Marble Hill is preserved in parts of West 225th Street, Terrace View Avenue and West 228th Street.

Seaman Street. (E19) Mentioned in Minutes of the Common Council for December 26, 1820. Location unknown.

Second Street (2). L18-E19) The former name of Greene Street in the early numbering system for the Bayard West Farm Grid. See also Numbered Streets.

Second Street (3). (M18) A street generally corresponding to the present Washington Street in the vicinity of Trinity Church. It was one of three laid out in a 1751 survey of church property. See also Numbered Streets.

Seventh Avenue. The part of Seventh Avenue north of Central Park was renamed Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard in 1974. See also Carver Boulevard.

Seventh Avenue Extension. (E20) In 1910, to complete the right-of-way for the future Seventh Avenue subway, an extension of Seventh Avenue was laid out from West 11th Street south to Carmine Street, where it would meet Varick Street. In 1915 the extension, then still unbuilt, was made part of Seventh Avenue. But that raised the problem of having to renumber the existing buildings along the avenue north of 11th Street. Over the following 14 years there was a low-key controversy over whether the extension should be part of Seventh Avenue or a continuation of Varick Street. In the meantime, as the subway was built and the excess parcels sold off by the city, most people continued to call it the Seventh Avenue Extension. The issue became more urgent in the mid 1920s as buildings were erected along the newly created street. In 1929 it became the present Seventh Avenue South.

Seventh Street. (L18-E19) The former name of MacDougal Street in the early numbering system for the Bayard West Farm Grid. See also Numbered Streets.

Seventh Street Place. See Leandertís Place.

Sheep Pasture, The. See Schaape Weytie.

Sheera Street. (n.d.) According to Post, a name for Broadway between Bowling Green and Wall Street.

Sheriff Street. (part) Most of Sheriff Street was demapped for housing projects in the mid-20th Century, leaving only the block from Stanton to East Houston Streets and a short link under the Williamsburgh Bridge. The street's path is still evident within the Masaryk Towers and Hillman Houses sites.

Shinbone Alley (1). See Cross Lane.

Shinbone Alley (2). (E-M19?) A former name for Washington Mews.

Shinbone Alley (3). (M-L19) A name for Doyers Street.

Shirley's Alley. (E19) An alley between Mangin and Goerck Streets, mentioned in the Minutes of the Common Council in 1829 and 1830. Specific location unknown.

Singel, The. (M-L17) See Cingel.

Sixth Avenue. (curr.) As as laid out on the Commissioners' Plan, Sixth Avenue ran from Greenwich Avenue to the Harlem River. It was extended south to Carmine Street about 1825. In the 1920s it was extended farther south to White Street for the construction of the Sixth Avenue subway. Sixth Avenue from 59th to 110th Streets was demapped in the mid-19th Century with the creation of Central Park The part north of 110th Street was renamed Lenox Avenue in 1887, and since 1987 has also been known as Malcoln X Boulevard. Sixth Avenue from White Street to 59th Street was renamed The Avenue of the Americas in 1945. This ten-syllable mouthful was not warmly received and was often ridiculed. Toward the end of the 20th century Sixth Avenue was restored to street signs as an alternate name.

Sixth Street (1). (E19) The Sixth Street of the Commissioners' Plan ran only from the Bowery eastward. In 1825 a continuation of Sixth Street was laid out from the Bowery west to Christopher Street. Between the Bowery and Broadway this extension remained unbuilt and was eventually demapped. Sixth Street west of Broadway was renamed Waverly Place in 1833. The part of Waverly Place fronting on Washington Square was renamed Washington Square North in 1858. See Numbered Streets.

Skinner Road. (L18-E19) Ran perpendicular to Greenwich Avenue from a point opposite Christopher Street to the center of the block bounded by West 11th and 12th Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues. According to Post, this name was also used for Christopher Street itself.

Skinner Street or Lane (1). (M18-E19) The former name of Cliff Street between Ferry Street (1) and Hague Street. It became part of Cliff Street in 1827. Now demapped.

Slaughter House Lane. See Sloat etc. below.

Slick or Slyck Steegie or Straet. (M-L18) Called Slick Steegie on the de Sille list and Slyck Straet on Selyns' list. Later anglicized as Muddy Lane. It is now South William Street.

Sloat or Slote Lane or Street. (E18-E19) An L-shaped street connecting William and Pearl Streets. It was renamed Exchange Street (2) in 1825 and later called Merchant Street. After the Great Fire of 1835, one part of the L was realigned southward. It is now Beaver Street between William and Hanover Streets. The other part of the L is now Hanover Street between Beaver and Pearl Streets. Slote and Sloat are anglicized spellings of the Dutch sloot (rhymes with boat), meaning a drainage ditch. Slaughter House Lane, also listed by Post, is apparently a folk etymology derived from Slote.

Smell Street Lane. (M-L17?) According to Post, a name for Broad Street between Wall Street and Exchange Place. The name probably refers to the canals of the Dutch period. They were filled in 1676, in large part because they stank. See Canals.

Smith Court or Place . (M19?) Earlier names of Congress Place.

Smith Street (1). (M17-L18) Now William Street between Hanover Square and Maiden Lane. It was called Smee Straet, referring to a forge or smithy, on the de Sille list and Smit Straet on the Selyns list. When Smith Street was extended in the early 18th Century, the new part was named William Street. A further extension was called King George Street. In 1794 Smith, William and King George Streets were combined under the name William Street. See also Smith's Valley.

Smith Street (2). (E-M19) A former name of Congress Street. (1).

Smith Street (3). (n.d.) According to Post, a former name of East Broadway.

Smith Street Lane. (n.d.) According to Post, a name for Beaver Street between William and Broad Streets. Probably prior to 1794. See Smith Street (1).

Smith's Valley, Smith's Vly, Smit's Vly, Smith's Valley Road, etc. (M-L17) These and other forms of the name all refer to a low lying area along the East River just north of the present Wall Street, and to the road along the shore in that area. It is called Smits Valleij on the de Sille list, Smits Vly on the Nicolls list and Smits Vallye on the Selyns list. The road became Queen Street (1) in 1694 and was made part of Pearl Street in 1794. It should not to be confused with Smith Street (1), which became part of the present William Street.

South Fifth Avenue. (L19) In 1870 Laurens Street was renamed South Fifth Avenue. By the early 20th Century this change had been abandoned and the name West Broadway was extended northward to Washington Square. The part north of Houston Street is now LaGuardia Place. See also Fifth Avenue South (1).

Southampton Road. (L18-E19) Ran northeast from Jackson Square, continuing the line of Gansevoort Street, to 16th Street about 200 feet east of Sixth Avenue; thence east and north to meet Abingdon Road at 21st Street about 100 feet east of Sixth Avenue.

Spencer Place. (L19) West 4th Street between West 10th and Christopher Streets.

Spring Street Market . (E19) Established in 1800 at what was then Brannon Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets. Initially called Greenwich Market (3). Called Spring Street Market following the renaming of Brannon Street in 1807. Relocated to Canal Street in 1829. See Clinton Market.

Spruce Street. (L18-E19) In the Stuyvesant Farm Grid, the twelfth street north of and parallel to Stuyvesant Street. See also Mangin-Goerck Plan.

St. Bridget's Place . (L19) See Leandert's Place.

St. Clement's Place. (M-L19) Macdougal Street from West Houston to Bleecker Streets and from Waverly Place to West 8th Street.

St. David Street. See David Street.

St. Gabriel's Park. (E-L20) Renamed St. Vartanís Park in 1978.

St. George's Place. (M-L19) East 13th Street either between Second and First Avenues or between Second and Third Avenues. Directories do not agree.

St. George's Square. (L18-E19) Formerly the intersection of Pearl, Cherry, Frankfort and Dover Streets. Changed to Franklin Square in 1817.

St. Hevin's Street. See Hevins Street.

St. James Street. See James Street.

St. John's Alley. (E-M19) The present St. Johns Lane.

St. John's Park. (M-L19) Bounded by Varick, Hudson, Beach and Laight Streets. Originally called Hudson Square, it became known as St. John's Park (after neighboring St. John's Chapel) about 1840. In 1869 it was converted into a freight depot for the New York Central & Hudson River Rail Road. The site is now occupied by the Holland Tunnel exit ramps.

St. John's Street.. John Street.

St. Nicholas Avenue. (part.) The part from 193rd Street/Ft. George Avenue to Dyckman Street was renamed Fort George Hill in 1962.

St. Nicholas Street. See Nicholas Street.

St. Peter's Place. (M19) Church Street between Vesey and Barclay Streets.

St. Timothy's Place.. (L19) Some directories say this was West 52nd Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, others put it a block north.

Stanwix Place. (M19) According to Doggett, a part of Elm Street near White Street.

State House Lane. See City Hall Lane

State Prison Dock. (L18-E19) Foot of Christopher Street.

State Prison Market. (E19) At Christopher and Greenwich Streets from 1806 to 1812, when the vendors were moved to the new Greenwich Market (1).

Steuben Street. See Low's Lane.

Stevens's Wharf. (L18) On the East River between Crane Wharf, now Beekman Street, and Peck Slip.

Stewart Street. (E19) Ran from Broadway between 30th and 31st Streets southwest to a point in the block bounded 29th and 30th street and Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

Stillwell's Lane. (E-L?19) Ran from the present Broadway and 87th Street slightly southeast, then east between 85th and 86th Streets to the boundary of the Common Lands at about the present Sixth Avenue.

Stone Bridge Road. (L18-E19) A former name of Broadway in the vicinity of the Stone Bridge at what is now Canal Street.

Stone Street (1). (part) The block of Stone Street from Broad Street to Coenties Alley was closed in 1980 for the construction of the Goldman Sachs building at 85 Broad Street. The course of the old street is marked by distinctive paving on the floor of the building's thru block lobby. According to Post, Stone Street is also a former name of Pearl Street. This probably refers to the west side of Hanover Square, which is the extension of Stone Street.

Stone Street (2). (E18) A former name of Thames Street, shown on the 1730 Lyne-Bradford Plan.

Stoughton's Alley. (E19) Circa 1803, an alley east of Coenties Slip.

Strand, Along the. (E-M17) The west side of Whitehall Street between State and Pearl Streets and the north side of Pearl Street, between Whitehall and Wall Streets. Often simply the Strand.

Strikers or Strykers Lane. (L19) In the late 19th Century, the remnant of Hopper's Lane west of Eleventh Avenue. Also called Mott's Lane. It was incorporated into DeWitt Clinton Park in 1901.

Stuyvesant Alley. (M19-L20) Ran from 11th to 12th Streets about 100 feet east of Third Avenue. Its site is now covered by an NYU Dormitory built circa 1990.

Stuyvesant Place. (E-M19) Second Avenue from 7th to 10th Streets.

Stuyvesant Square. (M19) Not the existing one straddling Second Avenue but the one now called Cooper Square. When it was designated as a public space in 1850, the Legislature named it Stuyvesant Square, oblivious to the fact that there was an existing Stuyvesant Square only eight blocks away. In the 1870s Parks Department reports referred to it as Fourth Avenue Park. It was renamed Cooper Square after the death of Peter Cooper in 1883.

Stuyvesant Street. (part) Stuyvesant Street now ends at Second Avenue. In the early 19th Century it ran to the East River at what was later 15th Street and Avenue B.

Stymer's Slip. (E19) On the Hudson River between Beach and Hubert Streets.

Sugar Loaf Street. (E19) Until 1816 the name of Franklin Street between Broadway and Baxter Street. See also Provost Street.

Suice Street. (n.d.) According to Post, a name for William Street between Hanover Square and Wall Street.

Sullivan Street. (part) The three blocks of Sullivan Street between Canal and Broome Streets were absorbed by the southerly extension of Sixth Avenue in the 1920s.

Susan Street. (E19) A street in the subdivision of the Kips Bay Farm. It ran from about Lexington Avenue, just south of 39th Street, to the East River at a point just northeast of First Avenue and 37th Street.

Swartwout's Dock. (L18-E19) Foot of Albany Street, where it formed the south side of Albany Basin (2). Spelled Swoutwout's in Post's Part 1 but spelled correctly in Part 2.

Swell Street Lane. (n.d.) According to Post, a name for Broadway between Wall Street and Exchange Place.

Sylvan Court. (E20?) An alley not labeled on recent maps but still existing on the north side of East 121st Street opposite Sylvan Place.